Hypopigmented skin disorders in children

Abstract

Introduction: Hypopigmented skin disorders are frequent as a cause of dermatological consultation in infancy, being caused by various etiologies.

Objective: To identify the most common diseases referred to a Dermatology Department by hypopigmented skin lesion.

Method: We describe the clinical features of 106 children with hypopigmented skin lesions seen at the Department of Dermatology of the Felix Bulnes Cerda Hospital, Santiago.

Results: Final diagnoses were vitiligo (38%), pityriasis alba (18%), achromic nevus (18%), hypopigmented mosaicism (7%), postinflammatory hypopigmentation (6%), lichen striatus (5%), pityriasis versicolor (5%), chronic lichenoid pityriasis (3%) and albinism (1%).

Conclusion: Vitiligo was the most frequent lesion. We comment about the high frequency of hypopigmented mosaicism, most of the children without other extracutaneous abnormalities.